The term "medical imaging" is used to describe the technologies used to see inside the living human body. These include X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound, all of which use some form of energy field or beam to create images. Nuclear medicine works differently. Specialized nuclear medicine technologists administer mildly radioactive drugs, called radiopharmaceuticals, to the patient. By scanning the body and mapping tissues' absorption of the radioactive drugs, technologists can create an image displaying healthy and unhealthy cells. Technologists must be licensed in some states, and voluntary certification is also useful.

Licensing and Certification

Each state's health board chooses whether to regulate nuclear medicine technologists. Some license or register technologists, others don't. In states that require licensing, eligibility usually consists of graduating from an approved training program and passing an examination. Alternatively, candidates can earn a national certification, which usually satisfies any state criteria. Certification is administered by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board, NMTCB. There are three levels of certification. The Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist credential is the primary level. Technologists can earn an additional certification in positron emission tomography or nuclear cardiology, if they have those specialized skills. Technologists with a master's degree in the field can be certified as a Nuclear Medicine Advanced Associate.

Eligibility

Taking a two-year associate degree in nuclear medicine technology is the most direct route to certification. The core curriculum in these programs covers a variety of material, including the basics of patient care and nuclear medicine, the underlying physics of radioactivity, radiopharmacy and radiation safety. Instruction must also include at least 1,000 hours of supervised clinical instruction. Graduates of an accredited program in the United States, Canada, Australia or New Zealand can apply directly to the NMTCB for certification. Those with degrees in other fields or credentials from other countries must apply under the alternative eligibility rules.

Alternative Eligibility

Candidates with other qualifications have a more complex standard of eligibility. An associate or higher degree in a related field is acceptable, if it included the same core curriculum used in a nuclear medicine technology program. Other health professionals, such as radiographers, registered nurses and sonographers are also eligible. In either case, applicants must be able to document at least 8,000 hours' clinical experience, or approximately four years' full-time work, under the supervision of a qualified physician or technologist. Candidates with foreign training or credentials must be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Examination

Applicants receive a letter from the NMTCB advising them of their eligibility to take the examination, and must then log onto the Board's website to review the available test centers and exam dates. Exams are taken by computer and consist of approximately 100 multiple-choice questions, each with five possible answers. Questions fall into four broad categories. These are radiation safety, instrumentation, clinical procedures and radiopharmacy. Clinical procedures is the largest category, accounting for nearly half of all questions.

The Career

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, projected 19 percent job growth for nuclear medicine technologists between 2010 and 2020, slightly better than the 14 percent average for all U.S. occupations. Those who also have credentials in related fields such as CT scanning or MRI, or who have earned specialty credentials in PET scanning and nuclear cardiology, will be in highest demand. In its May 2011 figures, the BLS reported an average salary of $69,960 for nuclear medicine technologists. The highest-paid 10 percent earned $92,960 per year or more.

About the Author

Fred Decker is a trained chef and certified food-safety trainer. Decker wrote for the Saint John, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, and has been published in Canada's Hospitality and Foodservice magazine. He's held positions selling computers, insurance and mutual funds, and was educated at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

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